Variable speed transmission



Aug. 1741937. T. BARISH 2,090,606

VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION Filed Sept. 11, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Aug. 17, 1937: BARISH 2,090,606

VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION Filed Sept. 11, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Z/ /OMA s BAR/6H ATTORNEY.

Patented Au 17, 1937 PATENT OFFICE- VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION Thomas Barish, Jamestown, N. Y., assignorto The Falk Corporation, Milwaukee, list, a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 11, 1936, Serial No. 100,248

Claims.

This invention relates to variable speed transmissions of the type involving a set of inclined tapered planet rollers and an encircling traction ring movable lengthwise of the rollers to regulate 5 their planetary action.

The copending application of Walter P. Schmitter and Alfred G. Bade, Serial No. 52,095, filed November 29, 1935, discloses a transmission of the type mentioned in which the required contact pressures between the rollers and ring are maintained by forcing the rollers outwardly along their respective inclined axes. In the transmis: sion therein disclosed the opposite ends of each roller are supported in ball bearings whose inner l5 raceways are fixed with respect thereto and whose outer raceways are slidably mounted in appropriate bearing seats so as to permit axial move? ment of the bearings with the roller supported thereby. When thus arranged, it has been found that the bearings are subject to rather severe wear.

I attribute this difficulty to the fact that the heavy radial load on the bearings induces high a frictional resistance to axial movement thereof on their seats and that this resistance imposes an eccentric load tending to rock the bearings out of their normal plane.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate this difficulty. This I have accomplished by so a novel combination and arrangement of parts which substantially eliminates objectionable eccentric loading of the bearings.

Other more specific objects and advantages will appear, expressed or implied, from the following 35 description of two illustrative embodiments of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a variable speed transmission of the type referred o to, constructed in accordance with the present in-- vention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view ofan embodiment of the invention involving a different construction.

Both forms of the variable speed transmission 45 shown are similar in many respects to that shown 50 nalled in the opposite end l3 of the housing and additionally supported by an appropriate bearing l4 seated in a hollow head l5 carried by the driven shaft l0.

Asun gear l6, fixed to the drive shaft l2, meshes 55 with a plurality of planet pinions I! which in free radial movement within a carrier ring 2!, -'10 which is mounted to swing about the axis of a supporting screw shaft 22, journalled in the main housing, all in a manner fully disclosed in the copending application of Walter P. Schmitter and Alfred G. Bade, Serial No. 100,270, filed 'Septem-' ber 11, 1936. It will of course be understood that the traction ring may be shifted lengthwise of the several rollers l9, to regulate and control their planetary action, by rotation of the screw shaft 22.

The several rollers 19 are journall'ed at their opposite ends in the end disks 23 and 24 of a spool-shaped rotor 25, the latter being supported in appropriate bearings 26 and 21 on the drive shaft I2 for free rotation about the common axis of the drive shaft l2 and driven shaft l0. As is customary in transmissions of this type, each roller is inclined to the axis of the rotor in such direction and to such degree that the outer extremities of the rollers are tangent to the surface of an imaginary cylinder wh'ose axis coincides with the axis of the rotor and of the trac tion ring 20.

In the transmission shown in Fig. 1, each end of each roller I9 is journalled in a roller bearing having an outer race-ring 28 fixed in one of the end heads 23 or 24 of the rotor and also having an inner race-ring 29 fixed to an end of the roller. In this instance the inner race-ring 29 of each bearing is fashioned to confine the rollers 30 thereof against longitudinalv displacement with respect thereto, but in each bearing the several rollers 30, with their inner race-ring 29, are free to move axially of and with respect to the outer race-ring 28.

.45 It has been found that the rolling contact be- Provision is. preferably made for forcing the which they are subjected.

several rollers l9 outwardly along their inclined axis so as to develop and maintain the required contact pressures between them and the traction ring 20. The means shown for that purpose is similar in many respects to that employed in the copending application first above identified. It comprises a spider 3|, carried by a hub 32 which is keyed or otherwise mounted for free axial movement on the rotor 2|. The spider 3| is cut away at intervals, as at 33, to accommodate the several rollers I9 and bears against ball bearings 34, fixed on the respective rollers, in such manner as to urge the rollers l9 toward the right (Fig. 1).

In this instance, spider 31 is resiliently urged toward the right by a compression spring 35 confined between a shoulder 36 on the rotor and a nut 31 threaded on the spider hub 32, the tension inthe spring 35 being regulated by adjustment of the nut 31.

'Ihe transmission'shown in Fig. 2 includes a similar spring urged spider 3| which in this instance acts directly upon the outer race-rings 38 of the ball bearings 39, which are slidably seated'in the end head 24 of the rotor 25 and which serve to support the smaller ends of the rollers l9. It will be noted that with this arrangement, the friction resistance to axial movement of the outer race-ring 38 is directly overcome by the thrust of the spider 3|, so that there is no eccentric loading of this bearing and no tendency for it to tilt out of its normal plane.

The thrust of the spider 3| upon each outer race-ring 38 is transmitted through the balls 39 and inner race-ring 40 to the small end of each roller l9 to which it is fixed, and this thrust, transmitted through each roller to the bearing which supports its other. larger end. If a ball bearing of the type just mentioned were employed to support each roller at its largerend,

the pull of the roller would tend to rock such bearing on its seat. In order to avoid this, a roller bearing, preferably of the type employed in the device of Fig. 1, is employed to support the larger end of each roller. In this bearing the rollers 41 are axially confined in the inner racering 42, which is fixed to the roller, and the rollers 4| and ring 42 are freely movable axially within an outer race-ring 43 fixed in the end head 23 of the rotor 25.

Various changes may be made in either embodiment of the invention. hereinabove specifically described without departing jrom or sacrificing the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:-

v1. In a variable speed transmission the combination of a rotor, a plurality of inclined tapered planet rollers rotatable with and with respect to said rotor, an encircling traction ring in pressure engagement with said rollers and shiftable lengthwise thereof to regulate their planetary motion, and means for supporting said rollers against the pressure reaction of said ring and permitting relative axial movement between said rollers and rotor, said supporting means including an anti-friction bearing for each roller having inner and outer race rings engaged with said rotor and one of said rollers respectively, and rollers between said rings permitting relative axial movement therebetween.

2. In a variable speed transmission the combination of arotor, a plurality of inclined tapered planet rollers rotatable with and with respect to said rotor, an encircling traction ring in pressure engagement with said rollers and shiftable lengthwise thereof to regulate their planetary motion, and a pair of anti-friction hearings in said rotor'for supporting the opposite ends of each roller against the pressure reaction of said ring,

-each of said bearings comprising inner and outer race rings respectively engaged with said rotor and roller, and rollers between said rings permitting relative axial movement therebetween to thereby permit relative axial movement between said rotor and roller.

3. In a variable speed transmission the combination of a rotor, a plurality of inclined tapered planet rollers rotatable with and with respect to said rotor, an encircling traction ring in pressure engagement with said rollers and shiftable lengthwise thereof to regulate their planetary motion, an anti-friction bearing for sustaining each roller against the pressure reaction of said, ring, said bearing comprising inner and outer race rings respectively engaged with said roller and rotor, and rollers between said rings permitting relative axial movement therebetween, and

means for effecting relative axial movement be-.

tween said planet rollers and rotor.

4. In a variable speed transmission the combination of a rotor, a plurality of inclined tapered planet rollers rotatable with and with respect to said rotor, a traction ring encircling said rollers and movable lengthwise thereof'to regulate their planetary motion, bearings in said rotor for supporting said rollers at one end, means acting on said bearings for effecting relative axial movement between said rollers and rotor, and bear ings in said rotor for supporting said rollers at the other end, each of said last named bearings comprising inner and outer race rings respectively engaged with one of said rollers and rotor, and rollers between said rings axially movable with rQSpect to .one off said rings.

'5. In a variable speed transmission, the combination of a rotor,'a plurality of relatively inspectively and axially shiftable relative to one ofsaid raceways.

. THOMAS BARISH. 

